The arena was buzzing with praise for the dominance displayed by the young girl.
"She could easily become a black knight."
Cedric was also a graduate of the Knight Academy, but he didn't complete his training here.
Elizabeth turned towards him immediately and asked,
"Could?"
How could there still be doubt about her potential in his mind? She was in a different league in comparison to the others.
Elizabeth didn't understand his sentiments, but there was more at play here than she didn't know.
"Yoshinaka Clan is one of the seven noble families under the Council that concerns themselves with the information networks of the kingdom. Unlike the other six families, the clan itself is a very polarizing figure in the noble community."
He looked back at the victor.
'Even she knows that all of this is worthless.'
"They never cultivate their knights, in accordance with a treaty signed between the seven families after an attempt to seize control of all the networks and work as a single entity, reporting directly to the council. This was led by a black knight from their own family, Kenshin Yoshinaka."
"Doesn't that make her entrance a violation of that pact?"
Elizabeth was being drawn into this.
"Not exactly. I believe that she has been "falsely adopted." That is the loophole that the Yoshinaka clan has been taking advantage of for many years."
False adoption, working as a servant while being able to carry the owner's family name.
Ever curious, Elizabeth popped another question.
"Then what is stopping her from becoming a black knight?"
Cedric folded his arms.
"According to the council rules, all-black knights are directly given a choice. to accept a position under the council, or to return to their family and handle the political aspects of their region. If you belong to a noble family, chances are that you will go back to them after becoming a black knight. But in a false adoption, you don't have a proper family, which means that you will be directly inducted as a kingdom-sponsored knight."
The clan itself would get no gain in this situation.
Elizabeth nodded in agreement.
'And if they try to induct an adopted black knight into their family, the treaty will be violated.
"That is why she will probably never cross the Red Knight barrier unless the Clan specifically wants her to for some reason."
The next two competitors entered the arena. He looked at them once and said,
"Bet 100 on him."
Hugh Fitton. The other Ares student.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The tense atmosphere had somewhat swelled in comparison to the previous round. Thanks to a second consecutive first-round victory, it was a landmark in the recent history of the academy.
Long Sword vs. Broadsword
Number 2 vs. Number 7.
The officiator of the match raised his hand.
"Begin."
The competitors remained firmly planted in their positions. As a female knight, Edith had a lot to prove to the people that were here to watch her fight.
"If she can do it, then I can do it."
In her mind, there was no difference between her and Tomoe. Projected to be the second seed according to the scouting report, she already believed in herself enough to push forward and win this match.
Hugh placed the tip of his sword on the ground, resting both of his palms above the pommel. The audience was shocked.
"Suicide!"
One of them called out. The officiator looked at him and asked,
"Are you forfeiting?"
With a confident smile on his Ivory complexion, he said,
"No. I am waiting for my opponent to make the first move."
Edith wasted no time and rushed towards him, ready to strike.
"If you have the balls to underestimate me, then I guess you deserve this."
'Slash!'
She aimed to swing the sword at his torso, stopping it just before the blade could touch his skin.
"Easy Three-"
'Swing!
He picked up his sword and met her blow with a greater force, generated out of pure momentum. This worked in his favor, as the broadsword could no longer pose any threat to him.
'Nngh!'
Her additional efforts to push him back were in vain. His scrawny appearance was hiding a monster in its shadow.
Still in a clash, Hugh brought his face closer to her.
"You look cute when you are angry."
She ignored his remark.
"As I said,"
A strong application of force to push her back.
"I will be waiting for you to make the first move."
His eyes were speaking the harsh truth.
'Your efforts aren't worthy enough to worry me.'
To him, this was a game. In this fight, her presence was meaningless. If he wanted, he could destroy her in moments.
"Haa!"
Enraged by his attitude, she rushed back toward him.
'Clang!'
The first left-sided cut was deflected. She immediately followed it up with a marginally lower slash.
'Clang.'
Weaving the sword like a toy, he was unfazed by all of her attempts.
"Don't-"
Frustrated by his games, she went berserk and started to slash incessantly.
"Mock-"
His long sword absorbed the attack.
"Me!"
'Clang!'
The power of her strikes had eroded, and her state of mind was all over the place.
"All of your attacks,"
Another parry, with no intention of countering.
"Are inadequate."
Staring straight into her eyes, he made his point.
"Forfeit. You don't have what it takes to beat me."
Her hands were red. The sword was barely within her grip. Even so, she continued to attack. Constant wailing and screeching ultimately led to no progress.
50 hits later, he smirked.
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
Her hand was almost numb. She was holding her sword for the sake of her life.
"To know that you aren't as good as someone?"
'Fight...me..."
She put in the work for one last hit. Meeting his eyes to get a viewpoint of her attack, her hard work came face to face with a barrier that couldn't help but feel disappointed in her overall efforts.
"Still inadequate."
He gave his final comment on the fight. Her spirit was broken, and her eyes were dead.
"You lose."
There isn't a single point for each of the students.
But a winner was decided.
"Winner, Hugh Fitton!"